Richard III's Speech
by Rondy Peredhil
Summary: “Give me another horse! Bind my wounds! Have mercy, Jesu!," Richard cries as he awakes from his nightmare before the day of battle. For an English homework, the class was told to rewrite Richard's speech, and I of course fit it into the context of my ch


Sarah Yudlowitz Ms. Horowitz

English3 AP 3.11.2000

  
  


Homework 

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Rewrite the speech of Richard on page 287, lines 189-218.

Due: Monday, November 6th

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**_Despair and Die!_**

  
  
  
  


"Give me another horse! Bind my wounds! Have mercy, Jesu!-Soft, I did but dream.

O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me!

The lights burn blue; it is now dead midnight.

Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh. What do I fear? Myself? There's none else by.

Richard loves Richard, that is, I [am] I.

Is there a murderer here? No. Yes, I am.

Then fly! What, from myself? Great reason why: 

Lest I revenge. What, myself upon myself? 

Alack, I love myself. Wherefore? For any good

That I myself have done unto myself?

O, no. Alas, I rather hate myself

For hateful deeds committed by myself.

I am a villain. Yet I lie; I am not. 

Fool, of thyself speak well. Fool, do not flatter.

My conscience has a thousand tongues, and every tale condemns me for a villain.

Perjury, perjury, in the highest degree; 

Murder, stern murder, in the direst degree;

All several sins, all used in each degree,

Throng to the bar, crying all "Guilty, guilty!"

I shall despair. There is no creature loves me, And if I die no soul will pity me.

And wherefore should they, since that I myself

Find in myself no pity to myself?

Methought the souls of all that I had murdered

Came to my tent, and every one did threat

Tomorrow's vengeance on the head of Richard."

  
  


In these lines, Richard wakes from a dream in which all those whom he has killed to become king come to visit him in specter form. They each give the earl of Richmond their blessing, but tell Richard to "Despair and die!". Queen Margaret prophesied Richard's fate, telling him "the worm of conscience begnaw thy soul", so the night before Richard goes into battle with his enemy, Richard awakes from this dream and feels a guilt that ultimately destroy him, for he will be tortured until his bitter end. 

  
  


The Assignment: Because I am to rewrite this play on the words me, myself, and I, I decided to use one of my own characters to apply it to Shakespeare's idea. 

  
  


_Deharou awakens from an encumbered slumber, plagued by the visions of the faceless dead_

  
  
  
  
  
  


DEHAROU

Another dream had I, 

That I had fallen within myself

And within myself I found myself to be cowardly

Soft was I, that I took up not mine own sword, 

But the sword of the accused, mine eyes.

And falling within myself, I regret that I am me,

As I stare now with huge eyes, on toward they, who am not me nor I. 

They only stare. Transfixéd, they accuse me of their deaths,

As if I can take back the me that has fled myself, never to return to myself.

They look on with dead eyes, but I am certain that I am myself, no villain to them nor me.

But then, methinks, I allow myself too much innocence. 

They are not I, nor am I they.

And I know, that deep within myself, where I hide from myself, I accuse myself

of the death of them and me, myself. 

The I that is me, the deadly image of myself, is no longer feared by any but me.

O awesome crater-filled Mother! She that is I!

O, do I loathe mine own self-pity, 

Mine own self-righteous hatred!

O me, but methinks I fancy myself a clever, 

No longer I take myself for murderous fool,

But then I flatter myself. 

Here stands the proof of mine own bitter acts.

Vile murder! Weep, I, that I have committed such a heinous act!

Or acts, I see, for I have murdered my barren soul away.

Shall Heaven nor Hell have my soul? 

I am but a nomad to me, myself, and I,

and I also feel, to the vengeful eyes too.


End file.
